MLB Player News

The former top prospect was released by the Royals prior to the lockout. Now 30-years-old, Zimmer registered a 4.83 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 46/30 K/BB ratio over 54 innings with the Royals in 2021. It’s unclear if the Reds plan to keep him working out of the bullpen, or if they’ll attempt to transition him back to a starting role.

Ort impressed for a time in 2024, but he opened 2025 on the shelf with a strained oblique and finished in there with elbow inflammation. In between, he had a 4.89 ERA and a 49/27 K/BB in 46 innings. There’s the chance he’ll bounce back and be an interesting sixth- or seventh-inning option, but that he’s 33 and out of options has the Astros moving on. Since he does make the minimum, we’d expect some team to pick him up off waivers.

The deal includes opt outs for the right-hander after 2026 and 2027. Imai is guaranteed $18 million each year of the contract, with $1 million bonuses for 80, 90 and 100 innings. Those bonuses automatically carry over to the next season once he achieves each mark, so he’ll be locked in at $63 million guaranteed if he throws 100 innings next season. However, if he performs well and stays healthy, he’ll almost certainly opt for free agency, which could prove considerably more lucrative since the 15-20% posting fee will no longer be attached to him. Obviously, MLB teams shared some skepticism about Imai. Maybe it’s partly because of his unusual slider or his history of control issues, though he’s gotten much better there the last two years. The Astros, though, do a great job of getting the most from pitchers, and while we were pretty skeptical about Imai being a mixed-league guy next season, the landing spot definitely ups his stock some. He joins Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. in the projected Houston rotation, with Mike Burrows favored over Spencer Arrighetti and Jason Alexander for the last spot.

Given his first big opportunity at age 27, Wagaman hit .250/.296/.378 in 514 plate appearances for the Marlins last season. More encouraging, though, were hit 46.5% hard-hit rate and 19.5% strikeout rate. So, there probably is the potential for more offense here. Still, Wagaman is below average at third and in the outfield and probably needs to be mostly limited to first base. The Twins figure to use him there or at DH against lefties, assuming that he makes the team. One imagines he’ll be competing with Kody Clemens, Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper for two roster spots. Wagaman and Gasper both have options remaining, whereas the other two do not.

Bragg, 24, had a 2.94 ERA and an 82/31 K/BB in 67 1/3 innings of relief work at three levels of the Twins system last season, topping out in Double-A. He lacks big-time velocity and is not viewed as a top relief prospect, but he could definitely surface in the Marlins pen at some point, perhaps as soon as 2026.

The 31-year-old Fitzgerald hit .196/.302/.457 with four homers and just eight strikeouts in 53 plate appearances in his major league debut, but that wasn’t enough to keep him on the 40-man. Given his age, there’s a good chance he’ll clear waivers, and he could stick around as a non-roster player in camp.

A 2019 third-round pick, Fraizer looked like a prospect at times with the Pirates before stalling out in Double-A for about three years. Last season, though, he was quite good in Triple-A when healthy, hitting .305/.361/.452 with 14 steals and a career-low 20% strikeout rate in 220 plate appearances. If he keeps that up, he might see some time in the majors at some point. However, Boston’s outfield figures to be one of the toughest in the league to crack.

Takahashi is holding out for something better prior to his Sunday deadline for finalizing a deal with an MLB club, but teams probably aren’t seeing much of a ceiling here. The 28-year-old right-hander went 8-9 with a 3.04 ERA and an 88/41 K/BB in 148 innings for Seibu last season. The 14.3% strikeout rate was the lowest mark of his career, and he’s never topped 20% in seven seasons in Japan.

That’s a huge get for Mexico. They did get a quality performance from Austin Barnes behind the plate last time around, but Barnes is pretty much out of the league at this point. Mexico has also confirmed that Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran will participate once again. Duran backed up Alek Thomas in 2023, but he’ll surely be a lineup fixture this time around. One big remaining question is whether Isaac Paredes will be allowed to participate while coming off his hamstring injury.

It’s a three-year, $54 million deal with easily reached bonuses that will net Imai an extra $3 million per season if he stays relatively healthy (he needs only to reach 100 innings each year). It includes opt outs after each season, so Imai will probably head right back to free agency if he performs as a rookie. The Astros needed to replace Framber Valdez, and Imai is plenty intriguing while coming off a season in which he posted a 1.92 ERA and a 178/45 K/BB in 163 2/3 innings for the Seibu Lions. The 27-year-old throws in the mid-90s and mixes in sliders and splitters from a low arm angle. With his command having taken a big step forward, he projects as a fine middle-of-the-rotation starter in MLB, though he’ll probably be a better bet in year two than in 2026.

It’ll be a two-year, minor league deal. The surgery was previously unreported, but it’s not a big surprise after the right-hander missed much of 2025 with elbow inflammation. The 27-year-old Winckowski had a 4.20 ERA in 21 starts and 100 relief appearances over four seasons with the Red Sox before being non-tendered last month.